In 1841, Oba Akitoye ascended to the throne of Lagos and attempted to ban slave trading.
Lagos, which is famous throughout West Africa for its music scene, has given birth to a variety of styles such as highlife, juju, fuji, and Afrobeat.
The two major urban islands in Lagos Lagoon are Lagos Island and Victoria Island, which are separated from the mainland by the main channel draining the lagoon into the Atlantic, which forms Lagos Harbour.
Today, the name Lagos refers to the urban area, called "metropolitan Lagos," which includes both the islands of the former Municipality of Lagos and the mainland suburbs.
Paper is the major form of waste generated in Lagos and the use of incineration is recommended.
Yoruba fishermen and hunters settled Lagos Island by the late 15th century, calling the island Oko.
All of these are part of Lagos State, which now comprises 20 local government areas, and which is responsible for roads and transportation, power, water, health, and education.
Victoria Island, situated to the south of Lagos Island, boasts of several sizable commercial and shopping districts (including Nigeria's largest mall and movie theater) and several trendy beaches.
The Abule Egba pipeline exploded in the heavily populated neighborhood of Abule Egba in Lagos, on December 26, 2006, killing hundreds of people.
Lagos merchants, most notably Madam Tinubu (died 1887), resisted the ban, deposed the king and installed his brother Oba Kosoko.
The Lahore Fort, located in the northwestern corner of the Walled City of Lahore, is a World Heritage Site.
National Open University is the first open university in Nigeria, Lagos State College of Health Technology runs health courses, and Lagos State Polytechnic comprises five schools.
Lagos State University is a multi-campus university established in 1984.
The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and the Lagos State Football Association (LAFA) are both based in Lagos.
Lagos City University (formerly Yaba College of Technology) was the first tertiary education institute in the country, and one of the first in Africa.
The Port of Lagos is Nigeria's leading port and one of the largest in Africa.
Lagos is blessed with a number of sandy beaches by the Atlantic Ocean, including Bar Beach and Lekki Beach.
Lagos, a Portuguese word for "lakes," was a Yoruba settlement of Awori people initially called Oko.
The original settlers of Lagos Island were Yoruba fishermen, who founded the city.
More than half of Nigeria's industrial capacity is located in Lagos's mainland suburbs, particularly in the Ikeja industrial estate.
Lagos is not a popular tourist destination, as it is primarily business-oriented and also has a reputation for being a fast-paced community.
Formerly the capital of Nigeria, the city's problems with overpopulation prompted the creation of the city of Abuja, in the center of the country, to replace Lagos as national capital.
In 1906, Lagos was amalgamated with the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria.
Three major bridges join Lagos Island to the mainland: Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge which start from Iddo Island, and the Third Mainland Bridge which passes through densely populated mainland suburbs through the lagoon.
Lagos has been the fore-runner with African styled hip-hop branded Afrohip-hop.
The city of Lagos lies in southwestern Nigeria, on the Atlantic coast in the Gulf of Guinea, west of the Niger River delta.
Lagos has a total of 1380.7 square miles (3577 square kilometers), of which 303.8 square miles (787 square kilometers) is made up of lagoons and creeks.
Lagos Island contains many of the largest markets in Lagos, its central business district, the central mosque, and the Oba's palace.
In 1886, Lagos achieved separate status under a British governor, and the remainder of modern-day Nigeria was seized in 1887.
Lagos is home to the very wealthy and the very poor, and has attracted numerous young entrepreneurs and families seeking a better life.
Lagos state was created in 1967, and control of the hinterland returned to the city.
From 1404 to 1861, Lagos served as a center of the slave trade, ruled over by Yoruba kings called the Oba of Lagos.
Lagos State had a population increase of about 275,000 persons per annum in 2006.
When Southern and Northern Nigeria were amalgamated in 1914, Lagos was declared the capital of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.
Ikoyi, situated on the eastern half of Lagos Island, housed the headquarters of the federal government and all other government buildings, has numerous hotels, and one of Africa's largest golf courses.
The slave trade continued until Lagos was formally annexed as a British colony in 1861, which also established British control over palm oil and other trades.
Lagos experienced rapid growth throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
The metropolitan area, including Ikeja and Agege, now reaches more than 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Lagos Island.
The city began on Lagos Island in the fifteenth century, but has spread onto the mainland west of the lagoon.
On this stretch of the high-rainfall West African coast, rivers flowing to the sea form swampy lagoons, like Lagos Lagoon, behind long coastal sand spits or sand bars.
Lagos is home to the High Court of the Lagos State Judiciary, housed in an old colonial building on Lagos Island.
Africans also were represented on the Lagos Legislative Council, a largely appointed assembly.
Lagos has one of the highest standard of living as compared to other cities in Nigeria.
Governed as a crown colony, Lagos was part of the United Kingdom’s West African Settlements from 1866 to 1874, when it became part of the Gold Coast Colony, which later became Ghana.
On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and Lagos continued to be the capital.
Idumota market on Lagos Island is the primary distribution center, and many films are shot in the Festac area of Lagos.
Lagos is served by Murtala Mohammed International Airport, which is located in the northern suburb of Ikeja and has domestic and international terminals.
Lagos has two rainy seasons, with the heaviest rains falling from April to July, and a weaker rainy season in October and November.
After the 1970s Nigerian oil boom, Lagos underwent a population explosion, untamed economic growth, and unmitigated rural migration.
Lagos faces a large environmental challenge resulting from its rapid growth without consideration for disposal of human waste.
Lagos Island, the central local government area and historic center of Metropolitan Lagos, had a population of 209,437 in the 2006 Census.
Lagos State implemented a bus rapid transit system, the first phase of which was completed in February 2008.
Lagos is the center of the Nigerian film industry, often referred to as Nollywood.
A pipeline exploded on May 12, 2006, at Atlas Creek Island, near Lagos, when a pressurized petrol pipeline that had been ruptured by thieves exploded, killing 150 people.
The Yoruba still use the name Eko when they speak of "Lagos," a name which never existed in the Yoruba language.
A British naval attack on Lagos in 1851 reinstalled Akitoye as the Oba of Lagos.
The commercial, financial and business center of Lagos and of Nigeria remains the business district of Lagos Island, where most of the country's largest banks and financial institutions are located.
The major native languages spoken in Nigeria represent three major families of African languages - the majority are Niger-Congo languages, such as Yoruba, Ibo, the Hausa language is Afro-Asiatic; and Kanuri, spoken in the northeast, primarily Borno State, is a member of the Nilo-Saharan family.